German Film Festival kicks off

“We have heard that the cinema [in Pakistan] is in a decline. Having such festivals suggests otherwise,” said Pasha, head of TV at NCA. ILLUSTRATION: JAMAL.K

LAHORE:

The second German Film Festival, organised by Annemarie-Schimmel Haus, in association with the Goethe-Institute kicked off on Friday at the National College of Arts.

The event, that will introduce audiences to the German cinema through panel discussions and five film screenings, is being held in collaboration with the National College of Arts (NCA) and Achtung Berlin.

The festival opened with the screening of an award-winning film Der Mann der ueber Autos sprang (The man who jumped cars), directed by Nick Baker-Monteys. It tells the story of young man who breaks out of a mental asylum and during a journey across Germany by foot ends up learning important lessons about life.

NCA Film and Television head Shireen Pasha called the festival “an important step for the film industry”. She said that such festivals gave exposure to young filmmakers.

“We have heard that the cinema [in Pakistan] is in a decline. Having such festivals suggests otherwise,” said Pasha.

The Annemarie-Schimmel Haus director Nadia Riaz told The Express Tribune, that the film festival was bigger this year as a result of the “fantastic feedback” last year.

A panel discussion titled ‘Ethics in films: Its need and importance’ will be held today (Saturday).